Tree size diversity is the major driver of aboveground carbon storage in dryland agroforestry parklands.

ABSTRACT: Despite the importance of agroforestry parkland systems for ecosystem and livelihood benefits, evidence on determinants of carbon storage in parklands remains scarce. Here, we assessed the direct and indirect influence of human management (selective harvesting of trees), abiotic factors (climate, topography, and soil) and multiple attributes of species diversity (taxonomic, functional, and structural) on aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks in 51 parklands in drylands of Benin. We used linear mixed-effects regressions and structural equation modeling to test the relative effects of these predictors on AGC stocks. We found that structural diversity (tree size diversity, H_DBH) had the strongest (effect size β = 0.59, R² = 54%) relationship with AGC stocks, followed by commun

SUBMITTER: Noulekoun F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10721610 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature